“We thank you, God, we thank you— your Name is our favorite word; your mighty works are all we talk about. You say, “I’m calling this meeting to order, I’m ready to set things right. When the earth goes topsy-turvy And nobody knows which end is up, I nail it all down, I put everything in place again. I say to the smart alecks, ‘That’s enough,’ to the bullies, ‘Not so fast.’” Psalm 75:1-4 (MSG)
As I read the first four verses of Psalm 75 from The Message, I am struck wondering what a difference you and I might see and experience in our world if God’s name was our favorite word and God’s mighty acts were all that we talked about. Today, I believe we would see a remarkable difference in our world if God was even our second or third most favorite word and if we spoke often and daily of the mighty and wonderful things that God has done. The day is surely coming when God’s name will be our favorite word and when we will look back through the annals of history to declare God’s mighty works.
If the Psalmist was able to do this then I applaud him, yet he writes, “We thank you, God, we thank you” implying that he is the spokesperson for some group, presumably, the people of Israel. He expresses their gratitude that God’s name is their favorite word and that all they talk about is God’s mighty acts. I wonder – is that what the people of Israel were really doing or is that the wishful thinking of the Psalmist? I am inclined to believe the latter.
In verses 2-4 the speaker changes from the Psalmist and we hear God’s voice. While in verse 1 the Psalmist, speaking for the people of Israel, tries to garner God’s attention by expressing thanks, the scene changes and God calls a meeting to order … in order to silence all other voices but His. God declares that He is going to set things right. The earth is described as everything having gone topsy-turvy. If that was God’s assessment of the world then, can you imagine what God would say about the world today? Bringing the situation to a personal level God states and “Nobody knows what end is up.” Once again that is a striking description of our world today … people are confused and often do not know what to believe. All the loose ends God promises to nail down. All of the things in disarray God promises to put them in their right place … to set everything right.
Then God takes His ire out on the smart alecks by saying, “That’s enough!” God also has words for the bullies, “Not so fast!” I love this contemporary language of how God will judge those who by words and deeds have lived counter to God’s will and have hurt and injured others. I see this text as a foreshadowing of words found in Revelation 21:5 (NRSV). “And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” What a difference!
Prayer
Lord God, thank You for promising to make all things new. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.